The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulsa
Second Half Surge Lifts UAB Over Tulsa, 76-60
1/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB women's basketball team used 47 second-half points to gain a 16 point victory over defending Conference USA champion Tulsa, 76-60, Friday evening at Bartow Arena. The Blazers are now sitting at 7-7 overall and 2-0 in the C-USA standings, while Tulsa saw its record fall to 5-9 overall and 0-2 in the league.
The UAB vs. Tulsa matchup was a showcase for two of C-USA's top performers. UAB's Carmen Guzman and Tulsa's Jillian Robbins ranked one and two respectively in the conference in scoring coming into Friday's contest with 21.5 ppg and 18.5 ppg.
Both Guzman and Robbins lived up to expectations, with Robbins holding the edge against the Blazers, recording a double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Guzman was not far behind with 25 points, while also adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals against Tulsa.
The Golden Hurricane jumped out to a quick eight point lead over UAB, anchored by Robbins who scored six consecutive points early in the contest. The Blazers slowly made their way back into the ballgame, taking their first lead of the game, 17-16, with 6:51 remaining in the first half on a three-pointer by Guzman. A pair of free throws by Guzman with two seconds left before the half gave UAB a two-point advantage at the break, 29-27.
Guzman tallied 15 points in the first half on 4-of-7 shooting, including a pair of treys. UAB shot a mere 29.2 percent in the first 20 minutes, including 27.3 percent from three-point range.
Tulsa's shooting wasn't much better, as the Golden Hurricane shot 33.3 percent from the field and three-point range in the first half. Valerie Siemens led Tulsa with 14 points, which included four from behind the arc. Robbins scored seven points and grabbed five boards in the first period.
The second half belonged to UAB as the Blazers came out firing 64.0 percent for the half, including a 22-5 run that spanned over six minutes to begin the second period. UAB continued its sharp shooting and found itself ahead by as much as 22 points at the 9:54 mark. Tulsa was not able to overcome that large of a deficit and fell at the hands of the Blazers, 76-60.
While Guzman scored a team-high 25 points for UAB, junior Diamond Rogers contributed a double-double, the second of the year for her, with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rogers also added four assists and a pair of blocks against the Golden Hurricane.
Although Robbins' 27 points and 11 boards overshadowed the rest of Tulsa's team, Siemens finished the night with 14 points and a handful of boards. Jamie Dreiling also added nine points and five rebounds towards the Golden Hurricane effort.
Overall, UAB held the shooting advantage with 46.9 percent from the field compared to Tulsa's 32.4 percent. The Golden Hurricane hit just 26.3 percent of their three-point shots, while the Blazers connected on 7-of-17 (.412) from downtown.
UAB's next matchup will be on Sunday, January 7 when the Blazers host the Mustangs of SMU. The Conference USA showdown is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip-off in Bartow Arena.
